CryoK95, we are not exactly sure of release day, but based on all previous runs of Cavalli amps, I would guess about end of Summer.

Thanks for being upfront about everything, from the layout to the tentative schedule. Now I know to get something to tide me over, and I can get in line for a Carbon without having to be desperate for it to arrive.

Oh, someone asked about the size. The proto is 5" wide x 6.75" deep x 1.7" tall including the feet.

These dimensions may change a little, but I wouldn't expect any significant change. This proto is about the third of fourth iteration and its size is pretty stable now. I don't know exactly what it weighs, but it is extremely light and easy to throw into a backpack or a carrying case.

If so, it has a universal SMPS in it so it will work anywhere from 85VAC to 250VAC, just like most walwarts and power bricks. Except that the PS is inside the amp. All you will need is a proper power cord for your location.

If so, it has a universal SMPS in it so it will work anywhere from 85VAC to 250VAC, just like most walwarts and power bricks. Except that the PS is inside the amp. All you will need is a proper power cord for your location.

That's good news, thanks! Yes I meant the main voltage, I travel a lot and buying a power chord isn't really a big deal, carrying a 3kg power transformer it is.

This maybe isn't a question for this thread, but I find the SE->balanced thing to be really interesting. Is it a feature that's unique to this amp, or to this price point? I haven't heard of it before, but that's likely my fault...

This maybe isn't a question for this thread, but I find the SE->balanced thing to be really interesting. Is it a feature that's unique to this amp, or to this price point? I haven't heard of it before, but that's likely my fault...

The SE vs. Bal thing has been around just about forever. Balanced signals were first used in early telephone lines because balanced signals have, what is called, high common mode rejection. Basically, what this means is that any noise picked up on long telephone lines is cancelled out at the receiving/repeater amp. Bal is also common in studio equipment for the same reasons. SE has been used for almost all HiFi/Stereo gear simply because it's cheaper to build.

However, not every amp makes both modes of operation possible or available. Most balanced amps do offer some form of SE operation either at the input or the output or both. For the output this is because it's usually easy to obtain a single ended output from a balanced amp although with some possible reduction in performance.

Since the Carbon is fully balanced and since many owners might have a single ended source or headphones terminated TRS we added this capability. In the Carbon hardly anything is lost using the SE input because it splits the signal to balanced. At the output, however, the power output is reduced simply because in SE mode it only uses half of each amp.

Thanks, @runeight. I was more interested in its ability to accept a SE input but still run "fully balanced". My understanding is that it's not "fully balanced" unless it's fed a balanced DAC signal as well. I'm curious if that's something that's unique to Cavalli.